Thug Lovin'

by Wahida Clark

  Just then Marvin’s cousin Lo came to the door. “MiMi, who dat be?” He had his hand on his waist, ready to go for his burner. When he saw Kyra he broke into a wide grin and then it quickly turned into a frown. He knew Marvin was busted. “Cousin, come on in.” He pushed the door all the way open. “What y’all doing out here this time of night?”

  “What’s up, Lo?” She rolled her eyes at MiMi. “I’m glad somebody got some manners around here.”

  “This is my house. I don’t have to have any damn manners.” MiMi rolled her eyes and walked away.

  “Where’s Marvin, Lo? I need to speak to him.” She and Aisha remained on the porch. “Tell him me and his daughter are outside.”

  “Come on in, Cousin. Don’t pay her any mind. She always had a crush on Marvin,” Lo said as he went into a nod, but immediately shook it off. He was now scratching his arm.

  “Tell Marvin to come outside, Lo. I know he’s in here so don’t even think about trying to cover for him.”

  Lo scratched his head and disappeared.

  Kyra and Aisha went back down the stairs and stood by the car. A few minutes later Marvin came out of the house with a surprised look on his face.

  “Daddy.” Aisha bolted, ran off and jumped into Marvin’s arms.

  He rained kisses all over her face, causing her to giggle. “What’s up, baby girl. It is way past your bedtime.”

  “I know. It’s real, real, real late but Mommy said we had to come and get you.”

  “I see.” He kissed her again and put her in the backseat.

  Kyra noticed that he had a fresh haircut, he was clean-shaven and his clothes were neatly pressed. He swooped her up and plopped her on the hood of the car. He kissed her nice and slow, damn near making her forget why she was out in the streets of LA at two in the morning.

  “Baby girl, I told you I was coming home. You got my baby in harm’s way as well as yourself. What was so urgent that couldn’t wait?”

  “Wait how much longer, Marvin? You’ve been gone for three days. We want you to come home.”

  “I was on my way.” He kissed his wife again. This time it was so good that she wrapped her legs around his waist.

  “Yeah, right,” Kyra moaned as he pulled her to the edge of the car so that she could feel his hard-on.

  “Tell Daddy what’s that supposed to mean.” He squeezed her ass while making her grind on his dick.

  She kissed him, playing and sucking on his tongue. Then went to kissing his neck, rubbing her nose up and down his neck and chest.

  “You forgot we are one and the same, baby. You practically raised me, Marvin. I can taste it. I smell it. It’s all in your pores, Marvin.” Just then a gold kitted-out Caddy came to a screeching halt at the end of the driveway. “You ready, Blue?” That was the nickname Marvin’s West Coast relatives had given him.

  Kyra held on to Marvin even tighter. He checked out the car. “Where the fuck am I supposed to ride, on the roof? Y’all niggas packed in there. And say what’s up to Kyra.”

  “Oh, my bad. How you doin,’ Mrs. Blue? What’s up?’’ the other voices said.

  Aisha’s head popped up. She wanted to see all of the action. Kyra just waved at them.

  “Come on, man. Let’s roll out,” the driver of the Caddy yelled.

  Marvin looked at Kyra and Aisha. Then back at the car full of homies and relatives.

  “We droppin’ Skip off so it’ll be room for you.” Chuck nodded. “C’mon, man, you said you wanted to do this.”

  Kyra was massaging his back and whispering in his ear, “Don’t go, baby. Come home with us. Your wife and daughter need you to come home.”

  Marvin kissed and hugged Kyra the way only Marvin could do. “Baby girl, I’ll be home in a couple of hours. I promise.” He kissed Aisha on the cheek and sprinted for the Caddy.

  Kyra knew right then and there that she had lost him.

  Who is this laying on my bell like this? Sabeerah reluctantly got up from her desk. She was almost finished with the new sketch she was working on. She peered out of the peephole and jumped back. The bell rang again. She peeped out again and held her breath. All she could do was stare. Boing. Sabeerah jumped. She then ran to the mirror and smoothed back her ponytail and fixed her shirt and shorts. She took a deep breath and cracked the door. Trae pushed it all the way open. She then watched as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He looked around the living room and then waltzed through the kitchen. He came out and when she saw that he was heading for her bedroom she jumped in front of him.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Somebody back there?”

  “No, but you can’t just come in here going through everything. I don’t know you like that.”

  “I can’t tell, Mysterious. You end up at my hotel suite on Valentine’s Day. You obviously know more than you are letting on. Tell me why I shouldn’t make you disappear?”

  “You knew who I was?” Sabeerah panicked.

  “Not at first.”

  “Make me disappear? Oh my God. I swear, I was just as surprised as you were. I work part-time for an escort service and they told me the client looked through the pictures and she chose me.”

  “You expect me to believe that? Out of all the escort services in California, my wife chose the one you worked for and chose you? C’mon now.”

  Sabeerah was getting offended. “I work for the best escort service in California. You don’t think your wife would choose the best? And what do you mean chose me? I am young, beautiful, smart and that is not the first time I was chosen,” she snapped, forgetting that he had just threatened to take her out.

  “I don’t mean it like that.” Trae shook his head in disbelief. This shit is unreal. “Why the fuck are you working for an escort service? Does your family know what you are doing with your spare time? How old are you? Your drawings are not making you enough money?”

  “Who do you think you are? I am grown!” She walked to the door and opened it. “Don’t come over to my house judging me. For your information, I have not slept with anyone. I just accompanied a few clients on outings and with you I was told no sex. So keep your judgments to yourself. And you can leave now.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “How did you find out where I lived? Get out now before I call the police.”

  “You need to quit that escort service. Those dates don’t always turn out as planned.” He walked out the front door and she slammed it behind him.

  She began ransacking her living room. “Why didn’t you tell him?” Sabeerah screamed. She stopped dead in her tracks and Mysterious calmly said, “Not yet. He’ll be back. Stop being a sucker. He doesn’t want you. You are a geek, a nerd for crying out loud. You wouldn’t know what to do with him.”

  “Fuck you!” Sabeerah began smacking herself. “This geek or nerd, as you call me, strategically set you up with that Valentine’s date, didn’t she?” Sabeerah was now foaming at the mouth.

  “But you fucked that up,” Mysterious challenged. “The wife was there. I couldn’t even enjoy myself. The bitch wouldn’t let me fuck him.” Mysterious spat.

  “Bitch, just leave me alone,” Sabeerah said before lying down on the couch to cry.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Tasha was in the kitchen putting together a snack bag for their trip to the drive-in and wondering where Trae was when the house phone rang. “What’s up, big daddy?” Tasha cooed into the phone. “Are you on your way home? Of course you aren’t. Buying you a Maybach was not a smart move,” she teased.

  “Yes it was. I’ll be there in a few. Y’all almost ready?” Trae asked.

  “By the time you get here we’ll be ready.”

  “Make me a turkey pastrami on rye. Love you,” Trae told her.

  “I already did and I love you more.”

  Tasha hung up and headed for the laundry room to put some clothes away. Concita was cooking and the kids were playing as Aunt Marva entertained two of her girlfriends. The doorbell rang and she wondered who i
t could be. “Auntie, are you expecting somebody else?”

  “Miss Carrie said she was coming but then called and canceled, maybe she changed her mind. I hope so, we need one more spades player.”

  Tasha had a puzzled look on her face because she wasn’t expecting anyone. She peeped out the front window and the person she saw made her blood boil. “No! I know this bitch didn’t bring her ho ass over to my house!” Tasha spat in disbelief.

  She snatched open the door. “Can I help you?” Tasha was having a hard time controlling the shakiness in her voice.

  “Is Mr. Macklin in? I only need to drop off these files,” Charli calmly stated as she pointed to a box on the ground. “Do you mind picking these up and taking them inside?”

  Tasha fought like hell to remain calm. “Oh, that won’t be a problem. Give me a sec, hun,” Tasha said, being real fake. She then hurried to the sliding glass doors that separated the kitchen from the patio.

  “Auntie, I need you to call 911 in about five minutes. Tell them that a lady just forced her way into our home and she is attacking your niece. You got that?”

  Aunt Marva looked confused. “Girl, what in the hell is going on?”

  “Concita,” Tasha called the nanny. “Stay out here with the boys, okay?”

  “Okay, Missus Macklin. Not a problem. The boys, they fine.”

  Tasha pushed Marva back, shut the door, locked it and dialed Trae.

  “Ma, what’s up?”

  “Since you can’t keep your bitch in check, I’m about to do it for you.” She began taking off her earrings as she hurried up the stairs.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Your bitch is at my front door. You thought I was playing? I warned you to handle her or I would. Ain’t no way you can convince me, nigga, that you are not fucking this ho or didn’t fuck her. This bitch done lost her mind over what is supposed to be mines, Trae.” She ended the call and wrapped her hair up into a tight bun, greased her face up and went back downstairs.

  Trae was frantically dialing Rick. “C’mon Rick, answer the phone,” he gritted.

  “Yeah,” Rick answered.

  “Rick, where are you?”

  “On my way home. You ready for me to tap that ass on the pool table? Game of eight-ball, that’s all I want. If you win I’ll—”

  “Man, fuck the game, I need you to get to my house. Tasha getting ready to whup my lawyer’s ass. I can’t have my wife going to jail for some bullshit. I’m on my way now. I’m about ten minutes away.”

  “I’m on my way too. I got you,” Rick said, glad to be able to do something to help Trae.

  “C’mon in.” Tasha held the door open for Charli, who stepped inside, leaving the box of files on the front porch.

  “Thank you.” Charli smiled, feeling empowered now that she had made her way into Trae’s home. “I know we got off to a bumpy start but I’m not all that bad. Maybe we can do lunch sometime.”

  Tasha closed the door. “I’m only going to tell you this one last time, stop calling my husband, stop buying him gifts, and don’t bring yo’ ass by the club, and especially on this property ever again. Do you understand what I just said?”

  “Excuse me?” Charli got indignant. “Myself and Trae, we have business together. And this house? I’m the one who made it possible for you to live here.” When she said that, if you could have bought Tasha for a penny, that would have been the time. Tasha couldn’t even breathe or speak. But Charli wasn’t done. “And the club? I arranged the financing on that. The club wouldn’t even be in existence without my help,” Charli said with an air of smugness. “So if you think it’s any more than just business, you need to check yo husband,” Charli said in a mocking round-the-way-girl voice.

  Plop. Tasha’s fist landed in her mouth. “Bitch, I’ma check you.” She punched her again.

  It was now Charli’s turn to become speechless and to lose her breath. When she recovered she hauled back and slapped the shit out of Tasha. Tasha didn’t blink but grabbed two handsfuls of Charli’s hair and pushed her neck down, damn near snapping it, and kneed her in the face. She then hauled back and punched her in the jaw. Charli grabbed her hair this time and got a nice punch at Tasha’s mouth. Just when the ladies were about to really get it on, Trae burst through the door. “Tasha, hold up.” He grabbed her and swooped her clean up into the air.

  Charli used this opportunity to sneak her in the face. “Bitch, now we even.” She smirked.

  “Ho, it’s on now. We can do this. Trae, put me down so I can handle this bitch,” Tasha growled. When Charli saw the look on Tasha’s face she started backing up.

  Rick burst through the door, almost knocking Charli over. He looked at Trae struggling to hold Tasha in the air and grabbed Charli.

  “Get your hands off of me. Do you know who I am? Trae, who is this? Tell him to get his hands off of me.”

  “Get her out of here, man,” Trae told Rick.

  “No. Rick, let the bitch stay,” Tasha spat as she tried desperately to squirm out of Trae’s grasp.

  “Rick, you got her, man?”

  “Yeah. Handle your business. I got you.” Trae carried Tasha upstairs into their bedroom.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t allow me to whup that ho’s ass!”

  “Why the fuck would I want my wife to be fighting some bitch. Fuck her! I married you, Tasha.” He finally let her go.

  “Nigga, now I know that’s exactly what you are doing. Fucking her. Trae, pack your shit and get the fuck out,” Tasha screamed.

  “What?”

  “You heard me, nigga. Pack your shit and get the fuck outta my house!”

  “Your house?”

  She turned around and got in his face. “That’s right. I said my fuckin’ house. What? Better yet. I may leave for a couple of days to get some shit straight. While I’m gone, you better get your shit and get the fuck out of my house. Oh, no. I’m sorry. It’s yo’ bitch house. She ain’t have no problem telling me that I wouldn’t be living here if it wasn’t for her. I can’t believe you. We could have gotten a house anywhere. You ain’t need her. Nigga, I got A-one credit. Let me refresh your memory. I’m not one of them chickenheads you used to fuck with back home. Oops. My bad. You came out here and called yourself stepping ya game up. Well, you know what? Fuck you, yo’ game and that bitch. Because I don’t need you.”

  “Tasha, what I do?”

  “You know what you did! Just have your shit out of here by the time I get back.” She went into their bathroom, slammed the door, and locked it. She then started breathing as if she were having an asthma attack.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Trae was sitting in Rick’s living room. They were getting blunted out. “Man, you’re a detective. They don’t give y’all random piss tests?” he asked Rick. They were on their third blunt as they watched Roy Jones, Jr. get his ass beat by Calzaghe.

  “I’m a boss, nigga.”

  “So. Bosses have a boss.”

  “Well, I have a unique situation. I’m good. Don’t worry about me. You know how lucky you are that I am who I am? That Asian chick you fuckin’ with is connected. We even now, homey,” Rick told him.

  “Nigga, we ain’t even. That’s what you get paid to do, serve the public,” Trae joked.

  “Dude. Who you know can call 911 and request a specific officer by name and he comes running? Nobody,” Rick joked. “But seriously,” he said, “ole girl is very connected. How did you get hooked up with her?” He wanted to see how much Trae knew. But Trae didn’t bite. Rick paused to take a toke. “She said Tasha invited her inside the house. So that means that wifey took her time and premeditated the ass-whipping. Dawg, you better not sleep on Tasha. That’s the type of woman you can’t sleep on, man.”

  “Man, I know my wife.”

  “I can’t tell. What were you thinking fuckin’ with that rich crazy and very connected bitch? I underestimated your willingness to live on the edge. Shit, I need you on my team, Rick kept prodding. “I mean, it
’s obvious that you love the ground your wife walks on and she worships you. Man, you know how many folks wish they had it like that? Sheeit, I hate my wife. We together for convenience. The bitch got money.” Rick was watching Trae and waiting on an answer. Because they had been investigating Charli Li’s law firm hoping to get something on Charles Li, which led them to Stephon, who had led them to Trae. They didn’t want Charli, Stephon or Trae. They wanted the man himself, Charles Li.

  Their attention went to the front door. Rick’s wife walked in, frowned and slammed the door. “Speak of the crooked-horn devil,” Rick said.

  “Rick, we talked about you smoking that shit in my house.” She rolled her eyes and kept going, ignoring Trae.

  Rick looked at his watch. “Here this bitch comes in at almost one in the morning, no explanation, no previous phone calls, no dinner on the stove, and got the nerve to check me about smoking weed in the privacy of my own goddammed house? This bitch got me fucked up!”

  “What did you call me?” his wife Rachel screamed from the stairs.

  “Ohhkay.” Trae stood up. “I think it’s time for me to bounce.”

  “Naw, man. You ain’t gotta leave.”

  “What did you call me?” Rachel screamed again as she stormed down the stairs.

  “Rachel, we have company.”

  “I don’t have shit. That’s your company,” she yelled as if Trae weren’t standing there.

  “Aiight, man. I’m out. It’s time for me to get my ass home.” He gave Rick some dap. “I’ll holla at you tomorrow and thanks for everything.”

  “Anytime, man. I got your back,” Rick said as he walked him to the door.

  Trae thought, Damn, seems like everybody got issues. He inhaled the night air before walking off the porch. Rick’s house was situated in the cul-de-sac on the block and Trae’s was in the middle. It was a beautiful star-filled night. The kind of night that he and Tasha liked to sit on the front porch and watch. Trae pulled the trash cans out in front of the house before going inside.